The Change
by Kellosian
Summary: Years have passed since Zim landed on Earth to invade, but he's changing. Mentally, physically, he and everyone around him are changing. No one suspects a more lethal danger looms until it is right at their doorsteps.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Dib sat down at the table, setting his lunch down. He moved it to the right slightly, and put his head down on the table. The full effect of what he has done, or not done, coming to him. He was prone to times like that, and he knew it. He just couldn't stop it. For years, he has tried to stop Zim from invading. What did he have to show for it? A reputation beyond repair (even though it was crap before Zim came), a ship no one believed in, and Zim still being free.

"What the Hell, Dib? Why don't you ever leave me alone?" Gaz, his sister, said. Gaz was annoyed by everything that doesn't beep or die in 16-bit. Her annoyance that day, however, was greater; she looked up from her Game Slave 4 to glare at him. "Why do you always insist on sitting here?" It was a good question, the answer he didn't want to admit. That no one in the entire High Skool liked him. That his only friends were a bunch of adults who probably had low-paying jobs, where they could devote their time to investigating every drunken farmer who saw a plane.

"Yes, Dib-worm, why do you always sit next to your sister at lunch? Is it not customary to be near friends when eating… oh, wait! That's right! You have no friends!" Zim laughed.

"Z-Zim? What are you doing here? Isn't it just as sad you have to sit with your worst enemy?" Dib retorted. He thought he had the alien in his logic trap.

"No. I've only been here a few Earth years, remember? You've been here your whole life!" Zim sat down, shoving his tray away from him. Dib had no idea where Zim got the money to afford skool lunch every day, since he had no family at all, and no job. Many things about Zim's life fell apart if you looked somewhat closely, but no one did. Why? Dib was the one bringing them up. Zim managed to convince the entire skool that he had a skin condition to make up for his crappy disguise.

"What _are_ you doing here?" Dib asked again.

"Eh? Oh, I need a place to sit to keep appearances up. Did you know it isn't normal to eat in the bathroom? Or that it isn't normal to have no friends?" Zim chuckled slightly. Zim was being especially harsh today, in what he said and his tone. But Dib wasn't one to simply sit there and cry to himself.

"You know, Tak's ship has a database of registered invaders," Dib said, pulling out his phone and looking through it. "Let's see here… Invader Alexovich, invader Chin, Invader Dooky, Invader El…" he carried on, reading off a long list of invaders. "… Invader Yoogli, invader Yuli, Invader Zee, but wait! No Invader 'Zim'! That's odd… now why wouldn't you appear in an Invader's database? Oh wait, here you are," Dib said, pointing to something on the screen. Zim feigned disinterest. "Fry cook Zim! Why, what does it say? Let's find out!" Dib pressed a button, causing the phone to say what was written on it, so Zim was sure to hear.

'Fry cook Zim, a.k.a. Defective Zim,-'

"SILENCE! The almighty ZIM does not need to hear such LIES! Zim is not broken! Zim is amazing! _AMAZING I SAY!_ I will rule this world, oh, how I will rule it! I WILL RULE YOU ALL WITH AN IRON FIST!" Zim was shouting, standing on the table, his feet in his and Dib's lunches. The entire skool ignored him, having heard it all before, leaving Zim disappointed. He timidly sat back down, grabbing his bread. Bread, waffles, plain pasta, and toast were the only things Dib ever saw Zim eat without reacting. In fact, he seemed to like it. The only thing he liked more was junk food (not greasy) and some strange liquid he kept in his PAK.

"Dib, why do we still pretend?" Zim said in an unusually calm voice. "I've been here since 5th grade, and now we're what, sophomores? I'm not invading; I think that was established pretty soon after I arrived. In fact, you and your scary sister are my only, well, friends," he said, not spitting or being confused at the term.

"Zim, what are you saying? That we should stop fighting?" Dib asked. He was, to say the least, willing to accept the idea.

"What? Me? Stop trying to invade? NONSENSE!" Zim yelled, now back to original volume. "Where would you get a _stupid_ idea like that?" Zim laughed maniacally, stole Dib's muffin, and left.

* * *

><p>Gaz sat alone in history class the next day, even though it was a group project. No one dared work with her; no one made them. Absolutely no one, ever. No one ever wanted to disturb 'Dib's Scary Sister' in fear she would kill them. Which she probably would. She was smart enough to do all her work alone, which was just how everyone left her. Almost everyone. To be fair, he wasn't like everyone else.<p>

"So, Gaz, I'm thinking Saxon. Any thoughts?" he asked. He was one of the few people who would work with Gaz aside from her brother. But he didn't know better.

"Fine," she said, being able to hear him perfectly despite her large, black headphones. She didn't like the earbuds; they were easy to miss if you weren't paying attention and decided to talk to her. Headphones had a clear meaning; Shut the Hell up.

"Very well. Now, you have to help me here, I don't have my book, where did they live? What did they eat…?" he trailed off, Gaz obviously not paying attention to him. She was instead paying attention to all the others around her. She didn't have to hear them to know what they were talking about. They were talking about her. They always were. Guys admitting guilty pleasures about thinking she's hot. Girls jealous of her confidence, her ability to wear anything and draw their boyfriend's eye. So, she had an idea. An idea to keep them guessing about her, so they would never know. Never know her true thoughts, her true dreams. Her nightmares. An idea to keep them talking about how little they actually know about her, so little they ever will.

"So, what do you think?" he said.

"Hmm? Sorry, drifted off," Gaz responded. There were a few shocked expressions; Gaz never apologized. Most were trained to apologize for everything. Gaz never did. She could kill and feel no guilt. Or so they thought.

"Please tell me you're not going to make me repeat everything all over again," he said jokingly. He honestly didn't know better. What a fool. She leaned forward, looking at the paper he wrote on. Not so much wrote as 'put what looked like a hundred years of effort into meaningless notes'. He wrote better and neater than a machine, and faster than anyone could type. He filled the page, front and back, in a small print. It still looked beautiful.

Then she reconsidered her plan; she couldn't do that to him. She mentally gasped. She had a conscience after all. The 'Mystical Lost Conscience of Gaz Membrane' actually existed. She still planned to go through with her ploy. Just not with him.

"Fine," she said, back to her usual composure. "Let's get started; the faster we start, the faster we can get done," she grabbed a pencil and went to work. Alone.

* * *

><p>Zim walked into his base, leaving skool early. He didn't actually see much point in going anymore except for appearances.<p>

"Good morning, son!" his robot parents said, facing the door even though Zim already walked past them. For some reason, they refused to listen to whatever new programming he put in them, insisting to put on a horrible performance. Although, considering the last attempt Zim made trying to make them acceptable, he thought it was for the better. He was able to make them look normal, though.

"HIIII!" GIR yelled. He bounced up from the couch and slipped out of his disguise. His cyan eyes looked up to Zim as he gave him a big hug, which was shrugged off like every day.

"Computer! Scan me," Zim commanded. A small device that looked like a portable scanner in a grocery store came down, attached to a long, thin arm from the tangle of wires that was the ceiling. It gave him an once-over, running a red light over his body. _I_ am_ getting bigger, _Zim thought as the computer processed the results.

"Sir, anomaly detected. Unknown origin, unknown effects, height aside," the computer reported. "Results; inconclusive… hey! Is that Monty Boa? I love that! Record…" it trailed off. After another incident with GIR and the house, it acted more like GIR. The crazy robot, however, was completely unaffected.

"Anomaly? In _MY BODY?_ Impossible!" Zim dismissed, but he knew something was wrong. When he was talking to the smelly Earth-monkey, he changed drastically, if only for a minute. "Computer, every day when I return, you are to scan me. Track this anomaly and figure out what it's doing! At the end of every week, you are to give me a full progress report. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" the computer said, before switching its attention back to the Flying Carnival. Zim walked over to the elevator to his base, taking it down.

"So much to do… SO MUCH!" Zim said to himself. "Even though there is no invasion to be had, there is no mission. For me, there is nothing,"


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Zim, about what you were saying yesterday… I've thought about it. You're right. We should stop this. This is getting us nowhere," Dib said. "I think we can be more then enemies! Maybe even friends?" he looked at his reflection. If only talking to the real Zim was as easy as talking to a mirror.

"Son, as you know, I don't support you in many things, but if you're willing to admit feelings for the alien boy, that's fine! Lucky you were born now, as opposed to when my grandfather was a kid; you couldn't do what you're hoping you could. However, if you plan to be 'more than friends' with the alien boy, make sure he doesn't have any foreign diseases!" Professor Membrane said from the doorframe.

_Fantastic!_ Dib thought. _I get to see the guy for a minute a day and he picks the one where I sound gay. He didn't even listen to the whole thing!_ He got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Gaz was there, and Dad, and GIR, and Zim… what?

"Zim? What are you doing here?" Dib screamed. He immediately dashed towards the sink, grabbing the nozzle and aiming it at Zim. He pulled, dousing Zim with water. Zim was unaffected.

"Foolish dirt-child! I'm here to help install a purifying chamber to your water supply. Free of charge, so don't worry about paying me!" Zim said, smiling. It wasn't maniacal, it was sincere. _Free of charge? That must be how Zim can afford lunch and clothes! He sells water purifiers!_ Dib thought.

"Wait, you're not weak to water? What about the whole water balloon thing?" he asked.

"Your water is so dirty! So many pollutants, even in your rain! The purifier turns it back to pure H2O, cleaner than you've ever had! I'm here to install so you and the Professor can try it out for yourselves, before signing a contract for all of Membrane Laboratories!" Zim announced.

"Yes, we'd be proud to partner with Irken Enterprises!" Dad said. The name was a cruel joke meant for Dib. Only he would get the meaning behind its name, except for Gaz. But she wouldn't care.

"'Irken Enterprises'? Never heard of it! What do you sell?" Dib asked. He was trying to get more info out of him, maybe spot a few holes in his story.

"We sell water purifiers, which dump directly into your garbage disposal, so you just have to get a new filter every month or so, and we also have contracts for soda, chips, other snack foods, and we're trying to get in on automobiles! We're hoping Prof. Membrane would be able to help with that…" Zim said, trying to hide his subtle hiding of being subtle. Dad simply laughed.

"We'll see, but first you have to win me over here with this purifier! Then we'll talk more," Dad always knew how to play the angles. He was brilliant in fields other than physical science; he knew more about psychology and sociology than anyone else in the world. No one could con him, but apparently he couldn't tell if an alien is selling him clean water.

"Well, we have to be off to skool now! Bye, enjoy the purifier!" Zim called out as we all left the house.

* * *

><p>The wait for the bus was awkward to say the least. Gaz was in her own little world, and Dib was eyeing Zim suspiciously. Some other kids came and waited, staying away from the three.<p>

"GAZ!" someone said. "Gaz! Glad you're here! We need to talk about the project," he said, Dib and Zim looking at him in shock. Zim learned quickly. This guy refuses to. The whispers started again. That she liked him. _Time to give them something to talk about!_ She thought, walking right past him. The whispers didn't stop, but that wasn't the plan. She walked right over to the argument, leaving him looking hurt. Then she grabbed Zim and kissed him.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Zim, do you honestly think my dad will but into your stupid plan? I don't know what you're after, but I will stop you!" Dib yelled.<p>

"Silly Dib, I'm not planning anything! I'm planning to expand my business before my brief leave, and I'm hoping for more stable contracts! That's-" suddenly Gaz's lips were on him. The experience was horrific yet wonderful, pleasant yet painful. Physical, literal pain. She seemed to forget her tongue was covered in water. Horribly, dirty water. She pulled away, everyone, including Dib, looking upon them in shock. Zim felt himself turn emerald.

"Um… err… wh-what was that?" Zim whispered, his cheeks turning darker. Gaz simply smirked at him and stepped onto the bus. Dib stood there, his mouth handing open. He was pointing weakly at him, disbelief on his face. Zim coughed, straightening his wig and smoothing his antennae.

"Yes, Dib-human, that just happened!" Zim said, feeling like his old self again, not some purifier salesman. "No idea why, but I'm sure it'll happen again! And again, and again, and again," he said, an evil smile playing across his face. Zim walked onto the bus, Dib following him.

* * *

><p>Dib didn't believe what he saw. He saw his sister, the ever-reclusive technophile Gaz, <em>kiss<em> someone and let him sit next to her on the bus. They seemed to be having a good time; Zim was laughing maniacally again and Gaz smirked occasionally. That was as close to a laugh as she ever got.

"Close your mouth; no one wants to see that," someone said. Dib closed his mouth, and made room for the new guy. Another shocking thing for him; no one ever sat next to him either.

"Sorry. Just a really shocking day," Dib replied. He noticed it was the same guy talking to Gaz about the project before she kissed Zim. "You're new here, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's what everyone says. No one shot me a second glance until I decided to work with your sister. After that, they all showed me pity; some warned me to get away while I could. Why?" he asked. He was genuinely clueless.

"She's…scary," Dib tried to put it gently. Scary, however, was an understatement.

"Scary? Everyone else called her 'the most horrible thing to ever walk upon this Earth'," he said, chuckling like he didn't believe it.

"She is," Dib said, looking at Zim and Gaz. They weren't talking anymore, instead trying to merge their faces. Dib gagged slightly, sighed, and simply looked out the window.

* * *

><p>OK, so there's the first two chapters! Don't expect an interruption too often, only when I make changes or to recap difficult concepts.<p>

In case you haven't noticed, this story is told through multiple perspectives without using the pronoun 'I', i.e. this chapter is told from Zim, then Gaz, back to Zim, and ending with Dib. I'll use empty lines to indicate pespective switches.

Recap, while I'm here;  
>It's been a few years since the events of IZ. They're sophomores now, and I'm assuming they were like 10 when Zim landed. Zim, and some others around him are changing; hence the title. Zim is becoming more calm, less patriotic, and his plans aren't driving him like they use to. Gaz is caring what others think about her, although that may have always been true. But now she's letting people work with her and refused to use the new kid in her plan to 'keep people guessing'. Dib is willing to stop fighting Zim, something he never would have in the original series.<p>

Characters to come;  
>I mean main characters, and no fan characters. I don't do that, I work with what I'm given, except when logic breaks. Nothing wrong with them, I just don't use them often. The list? Oh, right; Skoodge, Tak, Tenn, Zita, two FCs (I know I just said I didn't do that, but they're Skoodge's and Tenn's SIR units and they needs one), and others to come!<p>

Also, wanna know a secret? I know what should happen, what shouldn't happen, and nothing inbetween. That's right, I'm mostly making this up as I go along! Woohoo!

Jackie! One more thing!  
>I'm currently reading some novels by Sanderson, so expect my writing styles to be subconsiously influenced.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

The day was filled with whispers. Whispers of Gaz, whispers of Zim, whispers of the wrath of Dib. Whispers saying Gaz's cold heart was melting. That she could love; she just happened to love the only kid as odd as her brother. That was her plan, after all. Keep them guessing, but maybe they were right. She hesitated to involve her partner in the plan. Maybe because he didn't know better; maybe he was too new to be involved in her plan. Maybe she did have a heart after all.

She shook her head; there was no need for such crazy thoughts. She was just using Zim to manipulate everyone… right? _Of course! _She assured herself. _Of course I am…_ She and Zim had Math together, so she decided to take full advantage of her situation. She put her things next to Zim, who looked joyful when he saw her.

"Hello, Gaz," Zim said calmly. He was extremely calm lately, until he kissed Gaz. That seemed to return him back to normal for a few minutes. Gaz leaned forward and kissed the odd alien, and when she pulled away she noticed Zim's antennae standing on end.

"Um, Zim…" she said, gesturing towards his antennae. He looked puzzled, but finally realized what she meant and smoothed them back down.

"So, Gaz-human, does your puny Earth-brain understand these basic mathematics, or do you need help?" he said in a mocking tone. She simply smiled and turned to her work.

* * *

><p>"DIB! Pay attention!" Ms. Bitters said. She was droning on about the pointlessness of language, both written and verbal. Ironic because she was the English teacher, teaching how her position was useless and redundant, like everyone said. Dib tried paying attention occasionally, but his thoughts kept drifting to the kiss of that morning. The more he thought of it, the more he rationalized he was happy for Gaz. Happy that Gaz finally found someone, yet pissed that someone was Zim. He rationalized happiness, yet angry that Zim was stealing his sister. Even though he had nothing to do with kissing her other then being there and being… Zim, Dib still blamed him. It was irrational, and he knew it. He just didn't care.<p>

* * *

><p>Zim was sitting next to Dib in Biology before lunch. Dib looked pissed, but Zim didn't care. He was too busy looking at the note Gaz left him before class ended.<p>

_Skool parking lot. Lunch. Be there!  
>-Gaz<em>

That was all it said. Zim was anxious as to what she meant. Zim always loved biology class; it was one of the few classes where he actually learned something relevant. Relevant to an alien invader, that is. This period was on reproduction; insect reproduction, which made it only more interesting to Zim. In human terms, he was insectoid. The bell rang, and Zim rushed through the lunch line, grabbing about 10 rolls and giving the cashier a generous tip; he couldn't be late for Gaz.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Gaz!" Zim announced while stuffing rolls into his mouth, washing it down with whatever was in his weird bottle. She didn't know why she gave him that note; it seemed childish and impulsive, but the only way she could truly surprise him.<p>

"Hello, Zim," she said.

"So, why did you ask me to be here?" Zim said, cutting right to the point. "Whose VW is that?" The VW he was asking about was an old VW van, painted black with a dark purple. It had a skull-shaped air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror and small spikes welded onto the hubcaps.

"Mine," she said. "Got it a while ago,"

"So, why did you ask me here?" Zim repeated, shoving the last roll into his mouth.

"Because," she said. "You coming in or not?" she asked, unlocking the back and revealing it's interior; an old water bed, the floor covered with shag carpeting, dyed purple. Zim looked puzzled, gulping his final bit of food.

"What… uh, what's all this for?" he asked nervously. She thought he might not be totally clueless, and his nervousness was all the evidence she needed.

"What do you think?" she responded, climbing onto the bed. She let the strap on her shoulder fall carelessly, her eyes locked with Zim's. She gestured, hoping his curiosity would convince him to step into the van. He placed a hand on the bumper, climbing inside. He crawled forward to Gaz's beckoning looks, pulling him in. She pulling his close and they began kissing. She began working to remove Zim's uniform, slowly, looking at his oddly smooth chest. No belly button, no nipples. She placed her hand on it, rubbing it gently, when she heard a motor running. The lights flickered, and her cell phone went off, only to have no one on the other line.

* * *

><p>Zim put his uniform back on; ashamed he let the Gaz-human get that far with him. Just how far was he going to go? He climbed out of the back of the van and looked up. There was only one reason to mess with electrical equipment; let people know you're watching. He recognized the ship, because only one alien in the whole universe still flew that piece of crap. Suddenly a voice cracked through the radio, booming extremely loud;<p>

"INVADER ZIM! Get your coat!"

* * *

><p>Ooh, who's this mystery person? Whoever it is, she is obviously an alien. Any guesses? Wait, don't say! You might spoil it!

I might do this after every chapter! I don't know...

Also, the final line is a reference to something totally unrelated to IZ. Any guesses? I'm gonna post the answer at the end of the next chapter, so stay tuned!

EDIT: Fixed some perspective changes and some typos. Hope it'll help make things more understandable!


	4. Chapter 4

Gaz's history partner sat in class, working on the project Gaz was supposed to work on with him. He was typing up his report on the Saxons, which Gaz was supposed to do. But it was due the next day and he wanted to make sure it wasn't late. His first clue of something odd was when he mistyped; he never did that. Not ever. The lights flickered ever so slightly, and his laptop's screen fuzzed slightly. Asking for a hall pass, he bolted from the classroom. He followed the hallways with the flickering lights, his phone ringing at random intervals that got faster and faster. His watch beeped loudly, setting itself to random times. He burst out of the doors to find a spaceship hovering over a black and purple VW. It was a large van, and he knew what the ship was doing; the intergalactic equivalent of clearing its throat. Suddenly every car radio in the parking lot said the same thing;

"INVADER ZIM! Get your coat!"

* * *

><p>Zim was looking at the crappy ship, complete with dents, scratches, and crappy paint job. <em>I'd hate to be the sorry Irken flying that crap!<em> He thought, knowing exactly who it was.

"Come on down! We all know who you are!" he yelled, hoping it had the microphones on. The ship descended, jutting nearly-broken landing gear. The windshield, if it could be called that on a spaceship, raised, releasing smoke to hide its driver. It was pointless, but still looked cool. The smoke dissipated, and Zim walked up to greet the Irken.

"Hello, Tak!"

* * *

><p>Gaz stayed in the van, taking a little time to get her hair back into place. When she heard Zim say 'Hello, Tak!', however, she bolted out to confirm it. She didn't know why she was so concerned who Zim was talking to; it wasn't like she was jealous. Was she? She decided she wasn't and was just curious. How did she survive their last encounter? What was her plan this time? Was she going to steal Zim away? She cringed when that last question entered her head, but she knew she had to stay focused. She poked her head outside to find Tak standing in front of Zim, her SIR unit nowhere to be seen. Suddenly she felt a hand grabbing her neck, dragging her to Tak. Tak just looked at her.<p>

"Seriously? Dib's sister?" Tak laughed, pretending to wipe away a tear. "That's pathetic! You realize he's over 160 Earth years old, right? You're what, 16? Jailbait!" she exclaimed, laughing some more. Gaz looked over at Zim, who never broke eye contact with Tak, a look of hate growing in his eyes. Then it suddenly left, leaving him laughing maniacally.

"Foolish Tak! You think I love her? HA!" he laughed, causing Gaz to tear up. "She's just part of my plan, as is EVERYONE!" he continued on. Gaz felt something inside of her snap. She felt an unstoppable rage inside her sprout and flourish. It was a rage straight from her childhood, smothered and pent up through the years and back with a vengeance. She felt her rationality slip away and she clenched her fists. She chose a target for her unmatched hatred; Tak.

She launched herself at Tak, her fist landing square on the Irken's jaw. Tak stumbled, her spider legs stretching out reflexively to steady her. Gaz dove for the legs, throwing her entire weight onto one of them, causing it to bend slightly. She then reached up; grabbing Tak's uniform and dragging her down. She wrestled her to the ground, her knees resting on her chest while she proceeded to punch Tak's face until blood oozed out of her nostrils and out the side of her mouth. Suddenly Mimi was clawing at Gaz's back, scratching through her clothes and her skin. She cried out in pain, giving Tak enough time to punch Gaz and get her off. Tak was back on her legs with Mimi arching its back under her, with Gaz standing in a fighting-pose just a few feet away. Suddenly, Tak fell. She fell to the ground, her legs retreating after carefully setting her on the ground. The robot then deactivated, lying on the ground.

"What the-" Gaz said, her vision blurring. She stumbled and fell, Zim looking over her carelessly being the last thing she saw before she blacked out.

* * *

><p>First fight scene! What do you think? Oh, and the first paragraph is, in fact, relevant. Just not yet. Be sure to review, I am a complete egomaniac!<p>

Sorry if I don't post in a while, I got TF2 not too long ago, SO ADDICTED! I wonder if I'm gonna write about that next/soon... who knows! Wanna find me on TF2? I'm TheKandraKing or Mistborn. Both are references to the same thing, BTW. Not hard to guess, you just have to Google Mistborn.

PS Yeah, I'm gonna do this after every chapter! Maybe a joke too... so, here's one. A white man walks up to his black friend and says 'Wanna go get some KFC?', the black man angrily says 'Are you saying that because I'm black?' and the white man says 'Are you asking because I'm white?'

RR (Review-Responding) Thank you all for such favorable reviews! Also, just because I haven't said anything about it doesn't mean it hasn't happened! Also, I've planned when I release my characters so I'm not trolling you here. Good guess, though!


	5. Chapter 5

"…I told you, they were going to kill each other! I _had_ to step in!" said a voice. Gaz's head was swimming, her vision blurry and her hearing muffled. She tried to remember what happened.

"I don't care! You don't shoot my sister full of tranquilizers!" said another voice. Gaz tried to recognize it… Zim? No, he said 'sister', and Zim wasn't her brother. _Dib_ she thought. She tried to sit up, her arms protesting in pain.

"She's awake! Good… I didn't know if Irken tranquilizers had a toxic effect on humans. Anyways, I gotta go!" the first voice said.

"'Toxic effect'? You didn't know? Where do you think you're going! What if it does?" the second voice, Dib, said.

"…fine. I'll stay, but you keep your sister and Tak away from me!" he said. Gaz's vision cleared up enough to get a good look at him. He was rather short, even shorter than Zim. Zim had grown over the years, but he was still at least a head shorter than Gaz. He was also wide, but didn't look chubby. His Irken-red shirt was stained with grease, and his boots that matched his shirt and off-pink gloves seemed almost too small for him. He had red eyes, like Zim, and his antennae were twitching around wildly, like he was nervous. _If he did that do me, _Gaz thought, _he should be!_

"…Skoodge," Gaz managed to say with great difficulty. "You… are… Skoodge, aren't… you?"

"H-how did you know that?" he said, shocked.

"Zim told me. Wh-what… did you do… to me?" she said, her voice coming back.

"Irken tranquilizers. I had Gary shoot you and Tak full of them to keep you from killing each other!"

"Who's Gary?" she asked. Skoodge whistled, and a ferret came running across the room, standing on Gaz's chest. It looked perfectly normal; except for the fact it had a zipper on its neck, like GIR.

"So… how ya feeling, Gaz?" Dib asked. "I didn't know he was going to shoot you full of tranqs, please don't be mad!" he said, cowering slightly. Gaz simply sighed.

"Its fine," Gaz said, Dib looking at her in shock.

"Seriously? Not going to threaten to send me to a 'screaming nightmare from which there is no escape'?" Dib asked. Gaz shook her head. "You know I'm here for you, right? I'll stay home from skool to make sure Skoodge didn't accidently poison you or anything,"

"Fine. Whatever,"

* * *

><p>Dib and Gaz returned to skool a week later to find everything had changed. The teachers didn't notice anything, of course, but the students acted different. Nothing noticeable on a few students, but the entire skool was acting… off. None of Dib's friends (if you call the few kids who talk to him his friends) spoke to him; they just glared. Not at him, just through him. Dib wasn't the center of their anger, but the entire skool was pissed. Actually, not the entire skool; just the boys. The girls, however, walked around in a trance-like state. None of it made sense; everyone except for the really old staff acted weird.<p>

Dib and Gaz walked into lunch to find a large mass of girls all around a single table, with the rest of the girls looking on enviously. The guys looked at the table with a face of disgust, and Dib felt angry too. He didn't know at what, but angry. Gaz, however, looked like she was about to faint again. She walked to the table, nearly falling over as she did so, making Dib catch her and stand her back upright. As they got closer to the table, Gaz seemed to go faster, and Dib only got angrier. Gaz began to push through the crowd that didn't recognize her as a force to be feared.

"Hey, quit shoving!" the girl in front of them said. She turned to reveal herself as Tak.

"Tak? Why is everyone here?" Dib snapped. He didn't mean to, but it took every ounce of his will not to start swinging his fists. "Why is every girl in the freaking skool crowding around one freaking table?"

"You don't know?" she asked, turning her head slightly. Tak was acting even stranger than everyone else. She was acting… human. Gaz ignored her, determined to find whatever it was at the center of the mob.

She and Dib broke through, much to the distress of the nearby girls. They looked at the epicenter of this interest explosion, at the one being that could cause every person in the entire skool to react to his presence.

"Hello, Dib!" he said. He stood, a good head shorter than Gaz. Everyone towered over him, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to command the attention.

"Hello, Zim,"

* * *

><p>"So tell me, Zim, why does every girl in the skool have a strong urge to be right here while I have a strong urge to watch your weird alien blood pool on the floor?" the Dib-human asked. Zim simply shrugged.<p>

"I don't know, but I'm not complaining! Right, ladies?" Zim asked the large crowd. They shrieked with approval. "Can't argue with results like that, now can you?"

"But they're human! You hate humans! Remember, filthy stink-beasts, and all that crap?" Dib-Earthmonkey snapped. He seemed angry; but Zim just didn't care.

"So? They're still _kinda_ pretty," Zim mused, running his fingers over a girl's face. "Zita, right?" Zim said to her, not really trying to remember. She swooned, showing Zim he got the name right, or she just didn't care.

"You disgust me!" the filth-beast yelled, spitting at his feet. The girls gasped. Zim dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry, girls, I won't kill the damn alien here!" Dib yelled, making sure he could be heard. "Come on, Gaz!" he said, walking away. But the scary sister didn't leave. She stood there, right between Zim and Dib. She looked conflicted. "Gaz?" Dib asked, a look of concern replacing the anger. Gaz looked like she was about to cry, slowly shaking her head. She turned away from the boy, walking towards Zim.

"Don't worry, Gaz. He won't get you. He won't hurt you. I will protect you now. I will always love you," Zim said, wrapping his arms tightly around Gaz's waist as she began to cry. Dib looked furious, like he was ready to strike, but he stopped halfway. He looked at Gaz, crying on Zim's smooth chest. Dib lowered his arm, turned and walked away.

The girls were silent. The entire lunchroom was silent as Zim led Gaz to the table and sat her down next to him. They were silent out of respect. Respect for the passing of the tough, fierce Gaz who would never cry, never show emotion other than anger or annoyance, and never love. Zim smiled. He had finally defeated Dib, his long time rival. The only issue with his victory was it was going to kill him.

* * *

><p>Yeah, that just happened! Something big is going on here... but what? Well, that's what Dib has to figure out and put a stop to. That or kill Zim and be hated by everyone. One or the other. Gary, Skoodge's SIR unit, is one of the two FCs I'm going to add. Tenn's is the other. Also, expect some out of town friends to pop in for a visit :E<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

"Zim, what is wrong with you?" Skoodge asked. "You're in love with a human; you want the attention of the humans, and you have absolutely no interest in conquering. What's up?" he was mindlessly petting GIR, who was in his dog suit and loving the belly rubbing.

"Eh? Nothing's wrong; I'm fine!" Zim responded.

"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about! You normally would have said something like 'Eh? Nothing is wrong with the great ZIM! How dare you suggest I am anything other than the greatest invader ever!'" Skoodge said, comically imitating Zim. Zim chuckled.

"I did not talk like that!"

"Yes, you did! That's the point! I swear, Zim, you're not yourself," Skoodge said.

"Sir! Alert!" the base warned, making Skoodge jump out of his seat, making GIR unwillingly leave his lap. "I have finally determined the cause of your odd behavior, your height, and other anomalies in your system!"

"Well? Tell me!"

"I'm sorry sir, I cannot," the computer responded.

"Wait, what anomaly?" Skoodge asked.

"About a week ago the computer detected an anomaly in my biology; I've had him scan me every day after school for the past week to find out what it is. So, why can't you tell me?"

"Prime directive," it said, no hint of GIR in its personality.

"'Prime directive'? I'm your master, an Irken invader! Serving me is your 'prime directive'!"

"No, sir, you're a fry cook. You are not, in fact, in invader. It is in my programming not to reveal this information,"

"So, it's common for Irkens, then? If it wasn't, there would be no programming against revealing it," Zim reasoned. Skoodge and the computer were stunned; no one expected Zim to make logical leaps like that.

"Well… err… ah…" the computer stammered. _Why is the computer stammering?_ Skoodge thought. "My directive comes directly from the Control Brains. However, I did not reveal that information. Someone is coming for you, but you didn't hear that," the computer said.

"Thank you," Zim said.

"Well, as fun as this is, I need to go help Gaz with our project; Saxons. Thrilled," Skoodge joked, turning to leave.

"She's already upstairs, you know," the computer said.

"What?" Skoodge said, turning around. It was a pointless gesture, the computer was everywhere, but it was meant to look more dramatic than anything. "What do you mean she's already upstairs?"

"She came approximately five minutes ago; however it did not need an alert as she is on the 'Allowed' list,"

Skoodge activated his holographic disguise, heading up the elevator to meet Gaz in the living room.

"Hey, Gaz!" Skoodge said when he reached the ground floor. "So, ready to finish up?"

"Two things; one, the project was completed and turned in days ago. Two, I-I'm here to see Zim," Gaz said, looking shameful.

"Alright then, bye!" Skoodge said, walking out the front door. "Come, Gary!" the SIR unit followed behind, running on four legs in its ferret suit. Skoodge began to walk home, or what he could call home. He walked to downtown, leading to the HQ of Irken Enterprises. He walked inside, aware of the security cameras looking at him.

"Hey, Tak," he said, waving as he headed straight for the elevator. "Home," he commanded, and the elevator lurched to life, heading up. It went up, and Skoodge mindlessly counted the floors, as he always does. _3…4…5…6…7_, he concluded, and the doors opened. It looked like an upscale apartment, complete with a complete kitchen stocked with breads, pastas, a water purifier, and sugar. He walked over to the counter, grabbing a glass of water and dumping in three tablespoons of sugar and mixed it well. Taking his mixture, he walked over to the couch, turning on the TV to watch the late night talk shows. He wasn't quite caught up with Earth culture to get all the references, but without sleep, one had a lot of time on their hands.

Gary curled up next to him, his disguise now off, staring at the screen with his piercing, red eyes. He absorbed all the information, but unlike GIR, he couldn't laugh at the jokes. SIR units helped one fend off loneliness, but they weren't true companions. Skoodge began to scratch the robot's head, like he did with GIR, but it didn't react. It sat there, perfectly still, watching the show. Skoodge sighed, and gulped down his sugar water. He walked over to the fridge, hoping to make himself a snack before the next show. He grabbed a Deelishus Weenie hotdog, and plopped it on a plate before setting it in the microwave. Then he heard something.

His antennae wiggled, trying to pick up the noise. It was the elevator. But Tak was already at her floor, and Gary was still sitting on the couch. It wasn't Mimi; the elevator was groaning and squeaking too much for a light SIR unit. Mimi with groceries? No, there was a rustle of fabric. He closed his eyes, focusing intently. It sounded like an Irken fabric, and boots scraping on the tile floor of the elevator. Skoodge opened the door into the hallway, calling the elevator.

The door opened, revealing the person inside a surprise to the short Irken. She stood there, her hands on her hips, a deep scar on the right side of her face. A small robot stood next to her, its eyes cyan like GIR's. She looked like she was pissed at the world, like a female version of the old Gaz everyone talked about. Her antennae curled, revealing one was considerably shorter than the other.

"Hey, do you know where I can find Fry cook Zim?" she asked.

"Not here," Skoodge replied.

"Thanks anyways," she said, pressing a button on the elevator's inside.

"What, what's your name?"

"Tenn,"

* * *

><p>Yes, an entire chapter from one perspective. Skoodge's, of all the characters. I reread my story and forgot to add a few things and tie a few ends, so I'm going to take care of those.<p>

See, I promised Tenn! And I delivered! I'm going to change her design slightly, though. For one thing, she has battle scars. Remember those broken SIR units she received instead of Zim in 'Megadoomer'? Yeah, those did some damage. Mentally, too. She's pissed at the empire and all who sympathize. That includes invaders.

Wow, two chapters in one day! There's so much you can accomplish without TF2, huh?

Also, I promised I'd explain a joke from earlier, and it seems I neglected to. The line 'INVADER ZIM! Get your coat!' is a reference to a line from Doctor Who.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hi, Zim," Gaz said, Skoodge having just left and Zim rising out of the floor.

"Hello, Gaz!" Zim said, stepping out of the elevator with GIR following behind. GIR ran forward, hugging Gaz. She looked shocked, but hugged it back and sent it on its way. It was astounding; no one could ever send GIR away quietly. The neighbors commonly complained about the noise from Zim's yelling at the thing.

"Zim, did you mean it when you said you'll protect me? When you said you'll always love me?" she said, looking around nervously like someone would catch her.

"Yes…" Zim said, not entirely sure where she was going with that.

"Perfect," she said, grabbing something behind her. "Because I'm moving in," she pulled them around, revealing suitcases filled with clothes, teeth things, and other human cleansing things. A few, as he understood it, just for females.

"Gaz, are you sure this is a good idea?" Zim asked, not wanting to be rude but not wanting a human living with him. "I don't want your father or Dib getting upset at me; I can't decide who I'm more afraid of!"

"Yea, Dad is just glad I have friends who'll live with me and Dib's acting like a total ass. I can't stay there anymore. You said you'd protect me, right?" she looked at him sadly.

"Yea. I guess I did," he said, cracking under Gaz's pressure. Even when she wasn't scary, she got what she wanted. She looked thrilled, running up and hugging him tightly. She kissed him, working her hands over his uniform. Zim didn't know what to do except let her; he didn't want to be the one to resurface the Wrath of Gaz. She pushed him to the floor, taking off his uniform with a hint of savagery, working to remove his gloves. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"DAMNIT!" she yelled. "AGAIN?" she got off him and Zim went to the door. He opened it, revealing an Irken with no disguise whatsoever and a SIR unit with cyan eyes, just like GIR.

"Are you Fry Cook Zim?" she asked, looking at a clipboard.

"Yes… what do you want?" he asked, anxious to get back to Gaz.

"I'm here to kill you!"

* * *

><p>Tenn walked into the building, the doors opening for her Irken biochemistry. Her SIR unit, which called itself DIR, followed behind her. She opened the elevator, heading up until she reached an occupied floor. She looked down at the board. It had simple instructions, but she had trouble remembering them occasionally because of serious head damage. The PAK was working on it, and she would be fine in a month or two, but until then the Tallest sent her on stupid mini-missions. She was sent to inspect fast food restaurants, police trade routes, assassinate defects. The top of her list? Fry Cook Zim. The doors opened, revealing a fat, short, grease stained Irken with a slight scar running along his face.<p>

"Hey, do you know where I can find Fry cook Zim?" she asked.

"Not here," the fat Irken, she thought she recognized him as Skoodge, replied.

"Thanks anyways," she said, pressing a button on the elevator's inside.

"What, what's your name?"

"Tenn," she said, and the doors closed. "Well, DIR, any other bright ideas?" she asked.

"Doesn't Zim have his own base or somethin'? He was the first here," he said. They descended, and Tenn began to scan for other Irken biochemistries. There was one uptown, in a residential area, so she decided to follow it. She hopped in her ship and took off. She was there almost instantly. She was about to knock on the odd door with a restroom sign on it when she heard something in the bushes.

"Can I help you?" she said, making sure whoever it was knew she was there.

"Yea, help me kill the Irken inside," he said, coming out of the bushes. He had black hair and large, round glasses. He had on a jacket over a blue tee with a gray face on it that showed, as she understood it, ambivalence. He had a large, scythe-shaped patch of hair sticking up and then backwards.

"Who are you?" she said, DIR looking him over.

"Not important; just kill him!"

"Well, luckily for you, that's exactly what I'm here to do!" she said, knocking on the door. The odd boy hid in the bushes again.

"DAMNIT! AGAIN?" a girl inside yelled. The door opened, revealing a moderately tall Irken without a shirt or gloves.

"Are you Fry Cook Zim?" Tenn asked, checking her clipboard to make sure she said everything right.

"Yes… what do you want?" he said, twitching nervously. Tenn glanced inside, seeing a half-naked human sprawled out on the floor.

"I'm here to kill you!"

* * *

><p>So, that's that. Why did I even bother to include Tenn's perspective? Doesn't it seem pointless when I have a fight scene coming up? No, if you notice, I say why Tenn is there. Also, DIb wasn't going to be there at all! I decided to add him in because he's been AWOL for far too long...<p>

Now, why is Skoodge's SIR unit named Gary while Tenn's is DIR? Skoodge's unit is fully functional, not modified or broken in any way, unlike the rest seen on the show. Tenn was able to make one of the broken units, DIR, less dangerous by disabling most of its weapons. Think of it like another GIR, except can't do crap.

Expect a big fight soon between Zim and Tenn, and maybe Gaz and Dib? Who knows? Oh, wait, I do! But i won't tell. Spoilers! But if you want a peek into the future, Dib's getting his own bit soon. His own chapter? Maybe...


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm here to kill you!" the Irken said. Zim closed the door on her face. He turned back to Gaz, when there was another knocking on the door. Zim opened it again.

"Did you not hear me? I'm going to kill you! Do you not understand that, you broken reject?" the Irken yelled, stepping inside with her SIR unit.

"Sure, come on in…" Zim said sarcastically. He shut the door behind her and saw Gaz scramble to get her clothes back on. Tenn turned quickly, pointing a large gun right at Zim's head. Zim didn't flinch.

"GIR! Go get some snacks for us," Zim said and he heard GIR scramble about in the kitchen. Zim stood there, completely ignoring the gun, making whats-her-name feel awkward. "So, what's your name again? You seem familiar…"

"Tenn. My name's Tenn, and do you not understand that I have a GUN TO YOUR HEAD?" she yelled.

"Tenn put the gun down please. It'll do you no good, you'll never fire it. I'm untouchable, and if I'm wrong, shoot me. Shoot me down, if it's so easy," Zim taunted, sure she couldn't hurt him.

"I will! I've killed tons of defects just like you," Tenn said, sweat forming on her forehead.

"So do it," he said, turning when GIR came in with a platter of small sandwiches. "Thanks," he said, taking one. Bologna; not too bad, and GIR even used the filtered mayo. Still a little dry. "Want one?" he said, offering one to Tenn.

"I'm not here to eat, I'm here to kill!" she yelled, grabbing another gun with her free hand and pointing it at Gaz, who cowered in response. "And I'll start with the whore!"

"I don't suggest calling her that…" Zim warned. "Don't kill her; she's new on the planet and doesn't know who you are yet," but Gaz didn't listen. Zim could see her shaking with rage. "Alright, I'll save your life; but Tenn, you owe me," Zim said, moving swiftly towards Tenn while she was looking at Gaz. He punched, launching her across the room. She got up quickly, firing her guns at Zim wildly. Zim's spider legs moved him quickly, launching her at her from above as his boot landed on her face. She stumbled, blood creeping from her nose and mouth. GIR and the other SIR unit were in alert mode, producing weaponry and firing at Tenn and Zim when they had a clear shot.

* * *

><p>Zim's onslaught continued, landing blow after blow on Tenn. Dib walked in the door, desperate to retrieve Gaz before Zim could rape her again. He crouched, avoiding the attention of the aliens and the robot with tons of guns in its head.<p>

"Come on, Gaz, we gotta go!" Dib whispered when he was behind her. Gaz screamed in shock, causing Zim to notice him. Tenn slid across the room and righted herself quickly, grabbing her guns again aiming them at Zim and Dib. Two guns erupted from Zim's pack, landing in his hands perfectly, one pointed at Tenn and the other at Dib. Dib rolled quickly ripping some from the robot, aiming them at the aliens and robots. He stood, and Tenn came closer to the middle, forming a pentagon between them.

"Hey, grey-shirt, who are you?" Tenn asked, glancing at him quickly but still trying to look at Zim and GIR at the same time.

"Dib Membrane, I'm here to rescue my sister and kick some ass," he said, his guns wavering between Zim, Tenn, and two robots.

"Beat it, Dib, the big kids are playing!" Zim said.

"Dib, seriously, go! I don't want you here; you're just causing more problems!" Gaz said, tears forming in her eyes and her throat catching.

"Well, look at that! I don't have a sister to rescue; looks like I'm just gonna have to settle for kicking ass!" Dib said, channeling his inner action movie star. Zim rolled his eyes.

"Seriously? You're going to come in my house and say a line as stupid as that? That's weak," Zim mocked.

"Yeah. Weak!" GIR agreed.

"Shut up! You're an alien; what do you know about awesome lines?" Dib defended.

"Are you two pointing guns at each other and arguing over one-liners?" Tenn asked. Gaz tried crawling to GIR, the unofficial gun dispenser, but Dib caught her with his foot.

"I don't think so, princess! Oh please, I don't wanna hear it! You're a complete wuss now; you came into Zim's base and got beaten to the floor!" Dib said.

"No, she didn't…" GIR said. Dib wavered slightly.

"What do you mean? You mean she…" Dib started to feel sick. He managed to keep the guns up, but only just. Zim saw an opportunity and took it.

"Yes, Dib, she came of her own will! See the suitcases in the corner over there?" he said, motioning towards them. "She's moving in! There's nothing you can do about it, but her? Well, I imagine there's nothing she _won't _do!" Zim laughed maniacally, a bit like his old self. Dib almost vomited and started tearing up.

"YOU'RE LYING!" Dib yelled and pulled the trigger. A beam of light shot at Zim, hitting him square in the chest. Tenn, GIR, and the other robot fired in response, all five of them lying on the ground bleeding or in pieces. Gaz screaming was the last thing Dib heard before he saw a bright light.

* * *

><p>Oh yeah, I delivered a fight scene; Mexican standoff style! You know, these chapters seem a lot longer in Word. Every time I upload I think 'Wow, this chapter is really short!' and I almost forgot DIR! I actually edited him in last minute, but I think it blends well! If anyone notices a hole in my plot, please tell me! I would love to try and get all of those patched up. Now, why did I repeat the line 'I'm here to kill you!' for the third time in the story? Because I wanted to build suspense for the fight but dispel it with humor. Or something; I just thought it'd be funny!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Gaz woke up and made herself a bowl of cereal. The house felt odd empty; the computer was busy, GIR was destroyed and Zim… she'd rather not think about him. They've been missing from Skool for a week; there was going to be so much homework to do when they got back. She found it odd that her brother, her boyfriend, and GIR were downstairs nearly dead and all she could think about was Skool.

"Hey, Gaz," Skoodge said from the doorway. He helped himself to a tall glass of sugared water, which was in Zim's bottle the entire time, sat down at the table and rested his head on it.

"Hey, Skoodge," she responded in between bites of cereal.

"Any change?" he asked, like he's done for the past week.

"Slight; Zim's squeedlyspooch is now 18.75% restored, increased from 18.74% yesterday. GIR's memory has been automatically backed up every week; he'll wake up in a new body with a week or so gone from his memory. Low priority for repairs, GIR can be held indefinitely. Tenn's SIR unit is completely lost to me; Tenn will be responsible for its repair. Tenn's squeedlyspooch is now 15.90% restored, increased from 15.89% yesterday. Zim is my master, therefore he gets highest priority for organs, blood, and repairs," the computer reported. "As no donors, aside from Skoodge who needs his squeedlyspooch, are available I am forced to clone and rapidly grow organs for harvest,"

Gaz straightened when she heard that. "Can Zim use human organs? You have the technology; remember when he stole all everyone's to look human? Can that work?" Gaz asked hopefully.

"No; the organs can be stored temporarily to fool a medical professional, however they were completely inoperable and largely disconnected. We could put them in, not put them together,"

"Damn," Gaz said, slumping down in her chair. "What about Dib?"

"Dib…well…" the computer said, hesitating. "I have no idea. I've never scanned humans in a large quantity before, and like I said, I have no idea which organs go where. I've scanned you already; however I need more subjects in order to repair Dib safely. Like, for example, I've found an organ that has seemed to be pushed almost entirely from Dib's hip. I've also noticed a complete lack of mammary glands, extremely low estrogen amounts while testosterone soars, oddly shaped bones among many, many others. I can't tell what's missing, broken, and not supposed to be there in the first place!"

"What if I bring humans to you for you to scan? Male and female? Could you repair Dib then?" Gaz asked, wanting to do anything to help.

"That would be helpful. I'd also need blood, organs, bones, and other bodily fluids,"

"Alright, I have a plan!" Gaz announced. A screen lowered, along with a marker. "I can bring tons of humans for you to scan. How many do you want?"

"How many can you bring? I need as many as possible; currently Dib is in a time-stasis field so he doesn't die,"

Gaz nodded solemnly. "Alright, I can bring people. Lots and lots of people, all around Dib's age. Skoodge, you, Gary, and GIR need to go to the hospital and steal stuff. Medications, organs, but not from living people, blood, again not from living people, bones, and stuff like that. Think you can manage?" Gaz saluted, and was met with salutes and duty-mode SIR units.

* * *

><p>"Oh my god, Gaz! Where have you been? I heard you were off with Zim; is it true? Did you two have sex? I know he's your favorite! Does Dib know? I bet he's pissed! I gotta go tell everyone!" Zita yelled excitedly.<p>

"Zita shut it. Nothing happened, understand? Nothing!" Gaz said, not wanting to have the whole Skool think she slept with Zim. "Listen, I'm having a party. Zim's house, you know where that is, right? You coming?"

"Seriously? Gaz is having a party? What kind of party… vampire? Gothic? Is there going to be blood sucking? No one is into that, you know," Zita wasn't exactly Gaz's closest friend, or friend at all, but she was the biggest chatterbox in the Skool. If she knew Gaz was hosting a party, everyone would.

"No, not vampire, not gothic, no blood sucking," Gaz said.

"Will there be sucking of another kind?" Zita said. She was a chatterbox and a bit of a slut.

"No, but I can't watch everyone at once. Also, my dad has no idea, so what you do in the closet or bedroom or whatever is your deal," Gaz said, and that was all Zita needed to hear. She was already texting everyone she knew, telling them Gaz was throwing her first party, no adults, and not ever her house; all the ingredients for the perfect teenage party.

"Little to the left!" Gaz said to the little hovering robot with streamers. It moved to the right about three feet. "I said LEFT!" Gaz repeated, and the robot moved up. "That's fine, GIR, right there is perfect!" Gaz sighed as the robot taped it into place. It was the final one, and instead of nicely hanging they hung haphazardly at odd intervals. "How's the music, Skoodge?"

"Perfect; I managed to liberate a few speakers, and somehow Gary gets Wi-Fi," Skoodge responded, setting the large speakers on the table and plugging them into the ferret's head.

"How is everyone, computer?" Gaz asked, hoping for more progress.

"Better, marginally. Zim is at 19%, Tenn at 16%. Skin and bone growth is normal, and don't worry about their personalities; they're stored in their PAKs," the computer responded. "Gaz, its 7:00. Party starts in half an hour; however guests are already arriving," the colour drained from Gaz's face.

"Already? I made sure to tell Zita 7:30!" Gaz yelled heading for the door. "The robo-parents are disposed of, right?"

"Of course, I disabled them days ago,"

"Good," she said, opening the door. "Hey!" Gaz said, faking enthusiasm.

* * *

><p>Yet another chapter from a single perspective! Fear not, Dib's not dead. Yet (maybe). Also, I know there were better one-liners Dib could have said. I decided to go with something so overused that it would be humourous. Yet another case of 'This looked bigger in Word'. Also, Zita's first real line. She doesn't talk much in the show and this is years after the show, so I have sooo much leeway with the minor characters! Love it!<p>

Also, remember the time-stasis field? Dib's no stranger to it, I promise you. And remember the strange bottle Zim carried around earlier? Originally I had a chapter planned where Gaz would get freaked out and paranoid over it, trying to figure out what it was. But I kinda ruined that a while ago when Skoodge drank sugar water. I kinda figured people would put two and two together and it would have nowhere near the effect I was looking for.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Someone dies soon. And yes, they've already been shown in the story. Discuss.


	10. Chapter 10

The party was going along smoothly. Gaz saw the house's robot eye dart along the walls, scanning everyone that entered. They seemed to be having fun; Skoodge actually made a good DJ. GIR walked around emitting multi-coloured lights from his eyes and snacks from his head. Gaz stood off in the corner with a stopwatch.

"Time's up," she said, knocking on the closet door. "Who's next?" she yelled, and another guy came to replace the last one. Zita slipped her a five to keep going and closed the door behind her.

"SKOODGE!" Gaz bellowed. "EVANESCENCE!" she said, requesting a song change. Some old parts of her were still there, if just buried a little deep. Skoodge motioned for her to come to him. She rolled her eyes and walked over.

"Got a title in mind?" he asked. "I'll be happy to put you in a special queue…" he said, shaking a jar with a few coins and dollar bills on the bottom.

"My party; my songs. Going Under," she said, pointing to a song on his display. She walked back over, enjoying the new song. Kids rushed to the stand, throwing money into the jar, begging for a song change. She knocked on the closet again. "Time's up, let someone else in, Zita,"

"You heard her; beat it!" said a girl's voice from in the closet.

"Really, Zita? A girl? You really will make out with anyone, won't you?" Gaz said, opening the door. She saw Zita sitting there with a stupid look on her face. She walked out, stumbling, and made her way to the dance floor.

"Hey, Gaz! You want your five minutes?" said the girl remaining inside.

"Tak, you know most girls don't kiss other girls, right?" Gaz said.

"Really? I don't see why, but then again, I can barely tell the difference between guys and girls on this planet anyways…" she said, standing. Gaz cringed when her song was over and 'I Kissed a Girl' came on. Apparently Skoodge had a special queue for people who'll show her breasts.

"What are you doing here, Tak? I don't remember inviting you," she said, although Zita invited most of the people here. Well, everyone here except herself.

"I saw bright lights and instinct took over. Oh, the punch could use a little more sugar," she said.

"Try Skoodge's" Gaz responded, crossing her arms. For some reason, Zita and Gretchen were the only girls she could even begin to tolerate, but Tak was extremely far from tolerable.

"So, I heard Zim and Dib got in a gunfight. How'd that end?" she said, but she already knew the answer to that. She probably had the house or GIR tell her.

"Terribly, but you knew that already, didn't you? Look, I don't want another fight," Gaz said, when someone stepped behind her.

"Yeah, that'd be two in three chapters! Kell needs a break," he said, but when Gaz turned he was gone.

"That hell was that? Anyways… I don't want to fight. Just go enjoy the party; I don't really care at this point," Gaz said, stepping out of the doorway. Tak stepped forward, not leaving the closet.

"Come on… you know you want to try at least once," Tak said, and Gaz nearly vomited.

"Hell no! You have five seconds to get out of my sight before I beat you into a pulp!"

"Come on, Gaz! Fan service…" said the voice again. She turned and found no one talking to her again. Was she going crazy?

"No? Oh well. My offer will always stand," she said, placing her hand on Gaz's chest. Gaz slapped her on the back of the head as she passed.

"The hell was that all about?" asked someone behind her. She found someone there, finally, and it was Skoodge.

"Nothing; Tak being a slut. I thought you were doing the music?" Gaz asked.

"I got a few minutes. I made a killing off the Evanescence song. Wanna play another? I might be pushing it, but I think I can make a hundred bucks off your music tastes!" Skoodge said, and Gaz had to laugh at that. "So, may I guess why Zita paid twenty bucks for Katy Perry?"

"Tak,"

"Aww, I wanted to guess!" Skoodge said. "Anyways, music. Gotta go!" he said, running back to the stand. Although, with his short legs, it looked more like waddling. Soon a couple wanted in the closet, and Gaz was back with timer in hand.

A door burst open, flying across the room. Gaz turned to see a figure coming out of the shadows of the base beneath. It stepped forwards, and the music stopped and people turned to look at it. A large crowd formed around it, and Gaz ran to see who it was. The figure stood there in the middle of a clearing of people and Skoodge came to stand beside Gaz. A rumbling came from outside, and a few went to go see it instead of the figure that came from below.

"IT'S A SPACESHIP! DIB WAS RIGHT!" one of the kids yelled, and the crowd panicked. Gaz and Skoodge ran to go see who it was, and Skoodge gasped. He knew who it was, but Gaz had never seen the ship. She had never seen a ship so massive. It landed, crushing homes under its massive weight. It was at least five blocks wide and stretched on for what seemed like miles. It seemed unbalanced on the streets, like it could topple at any moments, but a generous amount of landing gear kept it in place. A large ramp descended from it, and smoke poured out of it. Lasers spread across the remaining buildings, not burning or destroying anything. Two figures came out of it, and the figure from below dashed out the front door to meet them. The figures from above and the one from below met, and it looked like harsh words were said. The figure from below came back, raising a finger as it pointed at the large crowd.

"THIS PARTY IS OVER!" Zim yelled. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

* * *

><p>So, kinda clear who the new guys are. Sorry its mostly dialogue, but you know. And yes, I actually wrote myself into the story. I know, I know, kind of a cheap shot, but that's how I roll. I kinda did it to be humourous and to prevent another fight, because I didn't want to do another one just yet. And yes, I'm a guy, in case you couldn't tell from my writing style. Don't expect me to make another appearance in the story, unless upon request.<p>

So, no one died. I didn't lie, someone will die and soon. It's not the figures from above, they weren't introduced when I said someone would die.

Also, even though I think IZ is set some time in the future, I mentioned Evanescence and Katy Perry. Why? 'Cause I don't know what songs will be released in the future! Also, I like Evanescence and Perry's song fit the moment, so it worked perfectly. If it makes you feel better, you can re-read it with those songs in mind/on your iPod/YouTube. It's what I did when writing it :E


	11. Chapter 11

"ALERT! ALERT!" a voice over the intercom said. "THE TALLEST ARE REQUESTED ON THE BRIDGE IMMEDIATELY!" the two tall Irkens rushed to the bridge and stood in front of the large screen.

"What do you want?" Red said a donut in one hand and a soda in the other.

"Sirs, the Prime Directive has been activated!" the computer said. The navigators looked at each other confused. They had no idea what that meant, and they shouldn't.

"Whose?" Red asked.

"Fry Cook Zim," it responded, and the navigators reacted to that. They at least knew who he was.

"Who can take care of this?

"Invader Skoodge is currently AWOL after the incident on Hobo 13, however Janitor Tak is readily available,"  
>"Good. Tell her if she is successful in his collection or extermination, she will immediately be promoted to Invader," Red said.<p>

"Yes sirs!"

* * *

><p>"My Tallest, we have received a strange transmission regarding Tak's mission," the computer said, interrupting their meal.<p>

"Well, play it!" Red commanded.

"Hey, tall guys!" the recording said. "Just wanted to tell you, I'm not gonna kill Zim. His girlfriend, probably, but not Zim. Sorry, just thought you'd like to know," she giggled in her odd high-pitched laugh.

"Damn, now we're going to have to find someone who's above the influence…"

"Sirs, we're receiving a signal from planet Foodcourtia," one of the navigators said.

"Foodcourtia? Open it! I wonder if they're giving coupons," Purple said as the message appeared on the large screen.

"My Tallest, the issue regarding security at, what was it again…" the Irken on screen said, checking her clipboard. "I finished at 'Shloogorgh's Flavor Monster',"

"Very nice, Tenn," Red said. "How's your brain injury?"

"Healing nicely, my Tallest," she responded, saluting with the wrong hand. Her odd SIR unit corrected her, and Tenn stood there, slightly more green than usual.

"Good… good," Red said, an idea forming in his head while Purple simply stood there, sipping away on his soda. What an idiot. Red motioned a computer screen down and typed in a command. Tenn's PAK beeped in response. "You have your mission; get to it!"

* * *

><p>Man, Purple is an idiot. Seriously, he sits there and eats and when the crap hits the fan he screams like a smeet. Red may not have combat experience, but he tries while Purple screams. He flipped through one of Zim's reports on Earth history, hoping for a laugh as Zim went on a tangent or pointed out a thousand human problems. Then something caught his eye; a single word that could solve all his problems.<p>

"Huh… I wonder if that would work…" he mused, thinking how he would modify that for a world of memory scans and complete accountability. Damn, it's hard to plan murder!

* * *

><p>A chapter entirely from the perspective of Tallest Red. Yes, it's short. Why did it take me so long? My brother hogs the computer. Anyways, there we go. It explains why Tak suddenly busted onto the scene and virtually disappeared until the party; she decided not to kill Zim, which is what she was sent to do. She gave up being an invader to keep Zim alive.<p>

The end of the chapter shows some serious problems with the current regime. Red's planning a coup and I have yet to explain how Zim got better so soon and what he said to the Tallest. Working on that, expect the next chapter to either be longer to make up for this one and to really move some plot along. Also, some will die within the next few chapters. Wanted to remind you.


	12. Chapter 12

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

The thumping shook the house, down to the base below. The thumping's beat changed, but loud as ever. Zim opened his eyes, still suspended in a bio-regeneration tube.

_Thump thump thump._

He tried moving, only to be unsuccessful. He tried to speak, yell, scream, to do something. Nothing. He was trapped; a prisoner in his own home. Then he saw it; a small flaw in the tube, something he's missed for the past week. He wiggled his toe over the bolt, loosening it enough for a small leak to spring. The flowing green liquid creeped out slowly at first, then sped up as it opened the hole. A bubble lurched past Zim's face, and he knew escape was imminent. He looked around and saw Tenn and Dib in their own tubes. They would have to wait. The fluid exposed the tip of his antennae and it wiggled in response.

_Thump thump thump._

There were wires and tubes connected to his PAK, which quickly fell off after the liquid moved past them. Zim grinned as the fluid lowered to his chest. He readied his arm and punched the glass wall. It shook but didn't break. He hit it again and it cracked.

**_Thump thump thump._**

One final punch and it shattered, spraying tube-liquid and glass across the room.

**_THUMP THUMP THUMP!_**

Zim's antennae cowered against the noise, and he instinctively covered them with his hands. He managed to walk over to his uniform and put it on, instructing the PAK to lower audio reception by 40%. The thumping became manageable.

_Thump thump thump._

He walked to the elevator, calling it yet nothing happened. He stood there, waiting, but nothing. Frustrated, Zim walked over to the stairs he never thought he'd use.

He walked up the flights of stairs, the thumping getting louder and joined by a human girl singing.

_I kissed a girl, and I liked it!_ she sang, the noise piercing Zim's brain. The beat altered his blood flow, the rhythms messing with his mind. He reached the door completely furious, as there was only one reason why loud music would be broadcasted in the house; Gaz threw a party. Gaz betrayed his trust! Gaz betrayed him! Zim kicked the door and the music stopped. He seethed with rage. Kids crowded around him, getting a good look at Zim, completely without a disguise. No point in keeping up appearances now. The ground rumbled, completely unlike the methodical thumping of the music. Some kids ran outside, when one of them screamed.

"IT'S A SPACESHIP! DIB WAS RIGHT!" pierced the crowd, and everyone panicked. Lasers spread across the landscape, and Zim knew who it was without even seeing them. Zim dashed outside to greet the Tallest as the landing gear fell and the entrance ramp lowered. The Tallest stood there in front of Zim, their height not nearly as imposing on Zim.

"Hello, Zim," Red said.

"My Tallest," Zim said. "Why do you want me dead now?"

"Getting right to the point, eh? Very well; Prime Directive was activated," Red explained.

"The Hell is Prime Directive?" Zim asked, glaring at the two tall Irkens in front of him with their pristine clothes and weak forms. He knew they could be strong if they needed to, but they didn't look like it.

"Access code; Z54, R20, P46, T01," Red recited and the knowledge poured into Zim's mind. One piece that was kept from all Irkens save the Tallest, the one piece that if violated would mean death.

"No. No no no nono nonononono NO!" Zim yelled. "You can't do this!"

"Sorry, Zim, but we must," Purple said.

"But I don't violate it! I don't! I'm still Zim… still Zim," he said, nearly at tears.

"But we must," Red repeated. Tears formed in Zim's eyes as his death sentence was read. "You have three days before everything turns against you,"

"NO!" Zim yelled again, like it would make things better. "I REFUSE! I'M DEFECTIVE, REMEMBER? I CAN LIVE THROUGH THIS! JUST WATCH ME!" Zim screamed, wiping tears from his face.

"Go, Zim. Go dispel the crowd, they're kinda creepy…" Purple remarked like death was the most insignificant thing in the world. Zim hung his head low, defeated.

"Yes, my Tallest," he said, resisting the urge to spit as he did so. He picked his head up and turned, walking back to the crowd and Gaz the Betrayer.

"THIS PARTY IS OVER! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" he yelled. More kids screamed as is clicked in their minds; Zim was an alien. The one they dismissed for years was an alien, and Dib was right. They panicked, running and trampling each other as they rushed away. After only a minute the only ones left were Zim, Skoodge, Gary, Gaz, and GIR.

"Zim," Gaz said quietly and rushed to hug him. Zim held out a hand and heard a slight _oof_ as she hit. Zim's rage still boiled inside, and Gaz was about to receive it. "Zim…?" she said, confused.

"Leave. Leave and never return. Skoodge can tell you all too well the horrendous history Irkens have with betrayal. You have betrayed me, my country, my trust, and my love," he said, slapping her for emphasis. "Leave, and if you return I will not hesitate to kill you,"

Gaz looked near tears. She clenched her fists, trying to punch Zim but Zim simply caught her fist with one hand. She began crying, and tried to punch him with her free hand.

"LEAVE!" Zim yelled, releasing Gaz. "ALL OF YOU!"

Skoodge shook his head, putting his arm around Gaz as he led her away with Gary following. GIR looked at Zim with sad eyes, his antennae drooping.

"What the Hell are you looking at?" Zim yelled angrily. GIR averted his gaze, suddenly interested in the floor. "That's what I thought," Zim opened the door and walked inside. He sat on the couch, put his head in his hands, and cried.

* * *

><p>Yea, finally going back to this. Shows what Zim and the Tallest said and reveals, if you think about it, someone has been lying. But who?<p>

Anyways... that's it. Not much to say here, and someone will die. I'm serious about this. Soon.


	13. Chapter 13

_See him, see Zim! Want Zim, kill Gaz. Want Zim, kill Gaz. Gaz bad! Gaz bad, want Zim. Want Zim, kill Tenn. Want Zim, kill Tenn. Tenn bad! Tenn bad, want Zim.  
><em>_Smeet! Smeet, smeet, smeet, smeet, SMEET! Want smeet! Tak want smeet! Zim smeet! Tak smeet! ZimTak smeet! TakZimsmeet! TakDibsmeet? DibTaksmeet? No, ZimTaksmeet! Yes… ZimTaksmeet.  
><em>_ZimGazsmeet? KILL! KILL GAZ! KILL TENN! TAK KILL GAZ! TAK KILL TENN! TAK HAVE ZIMSMEET!_

* * *

><p>"Gaz, he didn't mean it. Honestly; he's just upset, give him a few days and he'll be all right," Skoodge reassured. It didn't make Gaz feel better in the slightest.<br>"No, he meant it. Didn't you hear him? He never wants to see me again," she said, crying. Skoodge put his arm around her, pulling her close to him.  
>"Don't worry; I'll take care of this. I'll make it all better,"<br>"No. No, we'll go see Zim. If we can get him to talk to us, it might be OK…"

* * *

><p><em>Zim house. Tak at Zim door. Hit door, door open. 'Welcome home, son!' robots say. Stupid robots, not Zim. Tak see Zim! 'ZIM!' Tak yell. Zim look at Tak. ZIM LOOK AT TAK! 'Tak?' he say.<br>_"Welcome home, son!" the robo-parents said as someone enters.  
>"ZIM!" someone yelled, and Zim turns to see Tak standing there, her uniform disheveled, her skin dirty, and a strange, maddening look in her eyes.<br>"Tak? What are you doing here?" Zim said, but Tak seemed unresponsive, except at her name. Tak took a step forward, grinning like a madman.  
>"Tak want smeet," she said. Zim looked at her, puzzled. "Tak want Zim smeet," Zim looked at her, still puzzled, but it dawned on him what she meant.<br>"Tak, you can't be serious!" Zim said, taking a large step backwards. "You have no idea what that would mean!" But she seemed utterly unresponsive again, only reacting to her name.  
>"Tak want Zim smeet!" she said, now running after him. Zim activated his spider legs, climbing up into the wire-tangle ceiling. Tak simply stood under him, slightly confused, looking up at him.<br>"COMPUTER! GET RID OF TAK!" Zim yelled, panicking slightly.  
>"Hmmm… no," it said in response, instead lowering a few video cameras.<br>"'NO'? HOW CAN YOU SAY NO?"  
>"Like that. No. Prime Directive means, on top of what you know, that I don't have to obey you anymore. At all; I could kill you if I felt like it. However, I have found a black market for Irken… well, it's not organs, but it's something only Irkens can give. That's why I need the cameras. Better footage, better cash,"<br>"YOU'RE INSANE!" Zim yelled, having experienced enough human culture to understand what the computer was selling.  
>"No, I'm just smart. I can get a few new parts, a software upgrade or two, and be better equipped to serve the next Irken," the computer said, scoffing if it could. By that point Tak had remembered her own spider legs and grabbed Zim's foot, pulling him to the ground. Zim rolled onto his back, but Tak was on top of him immediately.<br>"ZIMTAKSMEET!" she yelled, her eyes crazed and unaligned. She ripped off Zim's uniform, pressing herself down onto him.  
>"Tak, don't! This is a really, really bad idea! You will DIE!" Zim said, and Tak seemed to respond to 'die'. She hesitated slightly, and then went back to ripping off Zim's entire uniform and taking her own off. Suddenly there was a sound from the front door as it opened.<br>"…Zim? Are you OK now?" Gaz said, and she gasped as she saw a half-naked Tak lying on a completely naked Zim. She began to cry and tremble. She clenched her fists as tears rolled down her face.  
>"Gaz?" Skoodge said, and he opened the door wider to see what Gaz was crying about. He was taken back when he saw the scene. "Gaz, don't do this! Don't do this," he said, but he didn't really mean it.<br>"Oh, please let me explain before you kill me," Zim begged, but no one listened to him.  
>"Zim… Tak… I'm going to kill you two," Gaz said like it was the easiest thing in the world, despite large tears streaming down her face.<p>

* * *

><p>So, what's with the italics in the opening paragraph? It indicates Tak's thoughts, which are horribly broken. Like not working at all. Now, what was the computer hoping to videotape? Well, here's a hint; it's been a popular thing since beings first became hermaphrodites. Don't know what that is? Pay a little more attention in Biology class :E<p>

Anyways... setting myself up for a really big fight scene. Again. I have a tendency to do that. Also, one last thing. I know I keep saying this, but someone really will die. Someone will be dead by the end of the next chapter, and don't think I'm done with the Tallest. So... yeah, that's it, review please! I love the reviews. I love them good!


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